Wireless networks may provide packet data services to wireless communication devices (WCDs). For example, a wireless network may include one or more packet gateways to one or more packet data networks. A WCD may request a packet data connection and, if the wireless network is able to authenticate the WCD for the request, the wireless network may connect the WCD to one of the packet data networks through one of the packet gateways.
The procedure for authenticating a WCD for a packet data connection may involve a number of different steps in which various network entities exchange various messages. However, if a network entity involved in the authentication procedure is unavailable, for example, because the network entity is off-line or is not functioning properly, then the authentication procedure may fail for one or more WCDs. In many cases, the unavailability is only temporary, perhaps lasting only seconds or minutes. Nonetheless, if a WCD requests a packet data connection at a time when the authentication procedure is temporarily unavailable, the request may be unsuccessful even though the WCD may in fact be authorized to establish the requested packet data connection.